Dan McAuley is an Emeritus at the Eastern Ecological Science Center
EDUCATION:
Niagara University (NY), Sociology, 9/69-5/73 - B.A., 1973
University of Maine, Orono, Wildlife Management, 1/74-12/75 - B.S., 1976
University of Maine, Orono, Wildlife Management, 9/83-5/84 - M.S. 1986
TECHNICAL TRAINING RECEIVED:
-Agricultural Biometrics, 3 semester hr, University of Maryland, 1981.
-Herbicides and Wildlife workshop (1/2 day), Maine Chapter TWS, 1990
-Bio-diversity and Critical Areas workshop (1/2 day), Maine Chapter TWS, 1990
-GIS workshop (1/2 day), Maine chapter TWS, 1991
-Controlled Burning in Habitat Management (1/2 day), Maine chapter TWS, 1992
-Data Analysis for Studies of Marked Birds, EURING 94 Conference, Sept. 19-24, 1994
-Identification, Biology, and Ecology of Aquatic Flowering Plants, Eagle Hill Field Research Station, Aug. 13-19, 1995
-Structured Decision Making and Rapid Prototyping, NCTC, WVA September 13-17, 2010
PRESENT ASSIGNMENT:
- DATES: From July 6, 2008 To: Present. Station Leader, Research Wildlife Biologist Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Orono, ME.
Science and Products
Fall Survival of American Woodcock on Cape May, NJ
Feasibility of Aerial Surveys to Census Red-necked Phalaropes in the Bay of Fundy
Survival and Recruitment of Common Eiders in the Gulf of Maine
Response of Avian Community to Forest Management on Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge
Monitoring migration of American woodcock past Cape May, NJ
Analyses of Woodcock Singing Ground Surveys in the Northeast
Adaptive Management of American Woodcock in the Atlantic Northern Forest Bird Conservation Region
Multiscale resource selection by American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) during fall migration at Cape May, New Jersey
Maintenance and dissemination of avian-origin influenza A virus within the northern Atlantic Flyway of North America
Migratory status determines resource selection by American Woodcock at an important fall stopover, Cape May, New Jersey
Visualizing populations of North American sea ducks: Maps to guide research and management planning
Survival rates and stopover persistence of American Woodcock using Cape May, New Jersey during fall migration
Adult survival of common eiders in Maine
A full annual cycle modeling framework for American black ducks
Survival of female mallards along the Vermont-Quebec border region
Survival of breeding male American woodcock in Maine
Effects of acidic precipitation on waterbirds in Maine
Effects of hunting on survival of American woodcock in the Northeast
Habitat use by postfledging American black ducks in Maine and New Brunswick
A quick-catch corral trap for wintering canvasbacks
Science and Products
- Science
Fall Survival of American Woodcock on Cape May, NJ
The American woodcock is a popular game bird in much of eastern North America. The woodcock population declined between 1968- 2000 at an annual rate of 2.3% in the Eastern region and 1.6% in the Central region. Estimated annual survival of woodcock banded in the Eastern region was estimated to be 0.354 for the period 1967-74. Estimates for the migration period, a period when substantial mortality...Feasibility of Aerial Surveys to Census Red-necked Phalaropes in the Bay of Fundy
The Challenge: Is it possible to monitor numbers of migrating red-necked phalaropes (Phalaropus lobatus) in the Bay of Fundy? Currently aerial surveys are flown during late summer to determine location and approximate size of current stopover concentrations. This research will assess the effectiveness of using aircraft to conduct surveys; determine a protocol for the placement and spacing of...Survival and Recruitment of Common Eiders in the Gulf of Maine
The dresseri race of common eiders breed from central Labrador to southern Maine and winter from Newfoundland to Massachusetts. The breeding population in the mid-1980s was estimated to be 71,000 pairs, of those 40% were in Maine. In Maine, nesting eiders increased from a few pairs in the early 1900s to approximately 28,000 pairs in 1989. Although the number of birds seems to be stable, the number...Response of Avian Community to Forest Management on Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge
The Challenge: Research goals focus on measurement of direct effects of various habitat management techniques for game species on neotropical migratory birds. Analyses are ongoing to determine if avian species richness, diversity, and relative abundance of land birds has changed at Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge as a result of habitat management; determine if the structure of the avian...Monitoring migration of American woodcock past Cape May, NJ
The American woodcock is a popular game bird in much of eastern North America. The woodcock population declined between 1968- 2000 at an annual rate of 2.3% in the Eastern region and 1.6% in the Central region. The annual migration of woodcock from the breeding grounds to their wintering areas has been of interest to biologists and hunters. Migration corridors along the Atlantic coast, such as...Analyses of Woodcock Singing Ground Surveys in the Northeast
The Challenge: Research goals of this project seek to determine if survey routes for American woodcock are sampling represenative habitats and whether routes are distributed proportionally to early successional habitats and biophysical regions across Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. If routes are not representatively distributed (i.e., biased), we will evaluate the effects of this bias on...Adaptive Management of American Woodcock in the Atlantic Northern Forest Bird Conservation Region
The Challenge: Research goals of this project seek to take an adaptive approch to habitat management for American woodcock. Under this process a mix of early successional forest habitat will be created following the allowable guidelines of state forest management, National Wildlife Refuge management plans, and commercial timber management plans; management actions will consist of various... - Data
Multiscale resource selection by American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) during fall migration at Cape May, New Jersey
This data set is measurements of the proportional area of 17 land-cover types at 5 different spatial scales in Cape May County, NJ at individual radio-tagged American woodcock (Scololpax minor) use locations and at random points across the county. The data set consists of a unique identifier, band number, year or season during which sampling was conducted, spatial coordinates (UTMs), - Publications
Filter Total Items: 59
Maintenance and dissemination of avian-origin influenza A virus within the northern Atlantic Flyway of North America
Wild waterbirds, the natural reservoirs for avian influenza viruses, undergo migratory movements each year, connecting breeding and wintering grounds within broad corridors known as flyways. In a continental or global view, the study of virus movements within and across flyways is important to understanding virus diversity, evolution, and movement. From 2015 to 2017, we sampled waterfowl from breeMigratory status determines resource selection by American Woodcock at an important fall stopover, Cape May, New Jersey
Migration is a period of high activity and exposure during which risks and energetic demand on individuals may be greater than during nonmigratory periods. Stopover locations can help mitigate these threats by providing supplemental energy en route to the animal’s end destination. Effective conservation of migratory species therefore requires an understanding of use of space that provides resourceVisualizing populations of North American sea ducks: Maps to guide research and management planning
North American sea ducks generally breed in mid- to northern-latitude regions and nearly all rely upon marine habitats for much of their annual cycle. Most sea duck species remained poorly studied until the 1990s when declines were noted in several species and populations. Subsequent research, much of which was funded by the Sea Duck Joint Venture, began in the late 1990s with an emphasis on definSurvival rates and stopover persistence of American Woodcock using Cape May, New Jersey during fall migration
Cape May, New Jersey is an important stopover area for American woodcock (Scolopax minor, hereafter woodcock) during fall migration along the Atlantic Coast of the United States. Previous research has indicated that many woodcock stop at Cape May prior to crossing Delaware Bay; however, little is known about survival of woodcock while using Cape May. To better understand woodcock survival on CapeAdult survival of common eiders in Maine
Although most species of sea ducks are poorly studied, much is known about the population dynamics of the American race of Somateria mollissma dresseri (Common Eider). Although Common Eiders typically have high adult survival and low recruitment rates, their populations in Maine have declined since the early 1990s. Wildlife managers hypothesized this decline was due to reduced adult survival; therA full annual cycle modeling framework for American black ducks
American black ducks (Anas rubripes) are a harvested, international migratory waterfowl species in eastern North America. Despite an extended period of restrictive harvest regulations, the black duck population is still below the population goal identified in the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP). It has been hypothesized that density-dependent factors restrict population growth inSurvival of female mallards along the Vermont-Quebec border region
Understanding effects of location and timing of harvest seasons on mortality of ducks and geese from hunting is important in forming regulations that sustain viable waterfowl populations throughout their range. During 1990 and 1991 we alternately marked 80 hatching year (HY), female mallards along the Vermont–Quebec border; half with radio-transmitters and bands and half with only aluminum leg banSurvival of breeding male American woodcock in Maine
The authors investigated the survival of breeding male American woodcock in Washington County, Maine. A total of 150 birds were radio-arked during 1987-1989 and relationships were evaluated between survival, body mass, predation, weather, and habitat use. Survival varied from 0.690 (1989) to 0.924 (1988), with a 3-year mean (95% confidence interval) of 0.789 (0.693-0.885)Effects of acidic precipitation on waterbirds in Maine
During 1982-84 waterbird use and numbers of waterbird broods were recorded for 29 wetlands on two study areas (25 and 77 km2) in east-central Maine underlain with bedrock having low, acid-neutralizing capacity (ANC). Twenty-nine wetlands over bedrock with high ANC (Class 3) and 31 wetlands over bedrock of low ANC (Class 1) were evaluated as predictors of wetland pH and alkalinity. Using the alkaliEffects of hunting on survival of American woodcock in the Northeast
Numbers of American woodcock (Scolopax minor) males counted on the annual singing ground survey (SGS) have declined over the last 35 years at an average rate of 2.3% per year in the Eastern Region and 1.8% per year in the Central Region. Although hunting was not thought to be a cause of these declines, mortality caused by hunters can be controlled. Furthermore, there has been no research on effectHabitat use by postfledging American black ducks in Maine and New Brunswick
We examined habitat use by 112 postfledging American black ducks (Anas rubripes) in eastern Maine and southwestern New Brunswick from September through early December of 1985, 1986, and 1987. Ducks were captured on Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Maine. Palustrine Emergent Wetland was the most preferred habitat type. Riverine habitats were avoided in September, but were used more than,A quick-catch corral trap for wintering canvasbacks
We designed a bait trap for wintering Canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria) that has proven more effective than conventional funnel or slot entrance traps for diving ducks. The unique feature of this trap is the corral entrance that presents unimpaired access to the bait and thus ease of entrance to the trap. Catches of 50-75 ducks have been made in a matter of minutes at prebaited sites.